As rapper and Team USA superfan Snoop Dogg watched from the stands, the team of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin bested Canadians Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman in a close matchup.
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The United States fell behind 1-0 after the first set, but scored three points in the next two to take a 3-1 lead. Canada would gain two points in the final quarter to tie the score at three.
The drama continued with the teams exchanging points in the fifth and sixth quarters to keep the score tied.
With the United States holding the hammer in the seventh set, Dropkin scored three points on the final shot to regain the lead and go up 7-4 heading into the eighth and final set.With Thiesse and Dropkin knowing what they had to do to preserve the lead, Gallant and Peterman were only able to score one point, giving the Americans the victory and leaving Canada 3-1.
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The match was the first of two on Friday for the United States (3-0), who will face a winless Czech Republic (0-3) at 8:35 a.m. ET.
Neither country medaled in this event in Beijing in 2022: Canada finished fifth and the United States eighth overall. Canada won gold in the inaugural mixed doubles competition at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.